The World Goes Round
by Lady Rurouni
Summary: The Sanzo-Ikkou has never been impressed with the gods they've met. Life is a lot less painful when they don't show up. But for some crazy reason, more of them are popping by as if just to hang around. So who is this "Nana-hime" who keeps gazing at them as if she cares? Treachery abounds on the journey west!


**The World Goes Round**

**Chapter 1: Ill Met By Starlight**

Once in a while, the world could function like normal – whatever that word means.

Once in a while, a day could pass like the tranquil repose of a caterpillar whose job was munching leaves from dawn till dusk.

(Coz that freakin' bird thinking of swooping down to get lunch would happen to be knocked out of orbit by a shot from the catapult of an idiot.)

It's not too much to ask for that.

Just once in a while…

"GO TO HELL!" Sanzo snarled as he aimed his Smith and Wesson. Shouts of pain and defiance perforated the air with every puncture of a gunshot.

They were travelling along a mountain route today. From a distance, the jagged outline of slopes and peaks scrapped against a frosty blue. Far removed from the industry of man, the air was crisp and slightly acrid, a taste of septic to the lungs. Civilisation seemed remote. Instead, dense forestry smothered the land in green foliage on either side of the wide dirt road.

It was an overdose of nature. Such serenity and non-pollution was disagreeing with an inexplicable disquiet plaguing Sanzo since morning.

An ambush by a bunch of gung-ho demons was a reasonable reprieve.

In the meantime, Hakkai, Gyojo and Goku watched the show from the comfort of the jeep.

Gyoji calmly pop a potato chip into his mouth. "And his beef today is…?" He raised an inquiring brow.

"Dunno!" Goku piped, industriously munching on a banana. "He woke up grumpy. Hadn't a good night's sleep, I think."

"Well, it didn't reduce his efficiency so I've no complaints." Hakkai quipped, throwing a smiling glance at the two in the backseats.

That was how he caught the flash of blue and gray a little distance behind their vehicle, among the deeper shadows of the green canopies lining the road.

It disappeared in a wink, like an imagining of the mind.

Smoothly, Hakkai turned back to the front. The cacophony had ceased. Sanzo was done spending his aggravation and was stomping back to the jeep. Though the trail before them was littered with at least twenty demon corpses, the designated driver of the group reckoned it was possible to manoeuvre the vehicle around them.

Sanzo plunked himself down on his passenger seat, too peeved to mask his glower. His brow twitched at the extra loud crunch coming from Gojyo but thankfully, refrained from reacting further. No one said a word as the jeep was started.

* * *

><p>They did not manage to encounter a village or town along the way so, by the time night fell, they had to settle for camping out in a clearing off the road.<p>

Their travelling had brought them to a gently sloping valley. It was quite picturesque. Grassy pasture, thick stands of trees spread out and a meandering river rippled at just a hundred metres further down. Someone enterprising had shifted two short logs on an even patch of the land just off the fringe of a forest. It must have been quite a while ago given the aged shade of the sawed ends and the lichens making their home on the wood. Flattish stones thrown together in a misshapen circle between them clearly marked the spot as some past camping site.

The sky was clear, the surrounding was lush. Compared to other outdoors locations which they previously had to make do, their current one was ranking pretty high up on their list of preferred makeshift accommodations.

There was a certain routine the four had fallen into whenever they had to prepare their own living comforts. Hakkai, with his domestic aptitude and subtly directive skills, was always the unofficial organiser by default.

Goku and Gojyo were prompted to collect some wood while he dug out the utensils and ingredients they needed for a decent meal. Thankfully, they had replenished their supplies well in the village they had spent the night in yesterday.

Sanzo parked himself down on a log, lighting up a smoke and simmering away with whatever that was bothering him. Hakkai left the monk to his own devices; the intensity of the sulk on the latter's face indicating the amount of space that must be yielded. Meanwhile, Jeep transformed back to a dragon and was lying supine beside the violet-eyed man, the only one of their outfit exempted from the temper of the blond.

A little more than an hour later, Hakkai had a good-sized campfire crackling away merrily and a pot of stew cooking.

Dinner passed by without a hitch, which meant it included the typical bickering from Gojyo and Goku over who gets the last bowlful. Sanzo only snapped at them once.

There was good reason for the easing of the monk's tight-faced demeanour. The night had been passing in a cozy manner, with savoury food filling their stomach and an ambience that was uninhibited and rustic. The slightly nippy air increased their appreciation of the warming flames. In a different context, their situation was reminiscent of an ordinary hiking expedition. It was an illusion only Goku was guileless enough to evoke.

Gojyo grunted. Hakkai smiled cryptically. Sanzo refused to respond.

They laid out their bed rolls around the fire.

The four of them were light sleepers – acquired from a life of psychological ordeals which they would never openly discuss – and so never bothered arranging some kind of a watch system. More often than not, one of them would be insomnious anyway.

Hakkai waved Gojyo away when the latter muttered that he was turning in. The emerald-eyed man turned demon had made himself comfortable on one of the logs, basking in the heat of the fire.

"It's a pretty night," he commented, raising his steaming cup of coffee to indicate his intention of staying up late. The sky was clear above them, offering a dazzling view of endless stars.

"Oh, yeah! Yeaaah!" Goku crowed, energetic as always. "I'll do that too!"

But after half an hour of discursive chatter, Sanzo announced that he was hitting his bedroll. The teenager decided he might as well follow suit.

So Hakkai was left alone for nearly an hour, till Gyojo stirred. Sitting up, the redhead spotted the other man, who looked as if he had not budged from his spot. He blinked blearily and shuffled out of his bedroll.

"Is the view that engrossing?" the halfling yawned as he ambled up.

"Don't be so dismissive or you might skip out on crucial details."

Gojyo shot the other man an arched look. Hakkai had his patented pleasant poker-face on.

The redhead huffed loudly.

"I haven't the patience to wait it out!" Gyojo rebutted before claiming that he was going for a leak. He then suggested the burnet should take a break and come along, considering how boring it was just sitting and staring into space.

The lips of the monocled man curled upwards. "Be careful. One might think you're scared to go by yourself."

Gojyo harrumphed and stalked of, venturing into the woods.

For nearly five minute, Hakkai heard nothing but the crackling of the ember firewood. Then, the distant scuffling of metallic clinks and wooden thuds emerged.

Hakkai leapt to his feet. He was alarmed, certainly, but his frown was puzzled as well. Two seconds was spared for his strange hesitation before he took off in the direction of the noise. Goku and Sanzo, who had woke up at the first jarring sound, were only a step behind.

It was but a short dash into the forest. The clash had already ceased by the time the three found Gojyo, who had assumed a defensive stance with feet apart and his shakujo wielded in both hands.

Two mysterious figures stood across, one at least a head taller and definitely masculine while the other was slender and decidedly female. The veil draping from the edge of their conical hats hid their faces were hidden from sight.

Both intruders were dressed the same, wearing an outer tunic which length fell below their knees, long sleeved and belted with a wide pale sash. Despite the shadows, the light blue of their top was discernable. Even the boots peeking out from the bottom of their trousers were of the same cut. Their getup was likely some kind of uniform.

"So you found our stalker," Hakkai commented as he joined Gojyo. "And there's more than one, I see. No wonder. I thought it's odd that you got into a fight when there's a pair of eyes on where we've camped."

"Ehh?!" Goku exclaimed as he ran up to the two older men. "They've been following us?!"

"I noticed someone watching us during our afternoon's fray," Hakkai explained while still watchful of their undecided threat. "Actually, I'm pretty sure we've been tailed since then."

"So that's why you've been weird the whole night," Gojyo jabbed. He had relaxed, resting one end of his weapon on the ground. "I can't pee with someone spying on me; just had to knock the creep out of the hole he's hiding in. Then the girly one showed up."

The slighter intruder took half a step forward but her partner put a restraining hand on her arm. They shared a long look through their veils and the wordless tension between them was palpable.

"Who are you?" Goku demanded. "What do you want?"

A gunshot rang out.

Instantly, the strangers swung their attention to the lone golden-haired man who had assumed a position away from his fellow travellers. He would not gravitate towards them like some kind of affiliates they definitely were not.

"I…" Sanzo intoned ominously with his pistol aimed at the mysterious pair, "do not appreciate sneaks."

Somehow, the monk's implied ultimatum made up the mind of their uninvited guests. The head of the female stranger shifted towards her partner and communication of some sort must have occurred. Next thing, the pair simply blinked out of sight.

The foursome stared. As far as they knew, that sort of speed was available to only one breed of being.

"Could they be…" Hakkai started giving voice to their common thought.

Their last encounter with the overbearingly superior species was just a fortnight ago. Being caught off guard and forced to wipe the floor by the War Prince Homura and his posse did not help create a congenial impression. Linking their latest batch of gods – which seemed more cryptic than antagonistic – to them was jumping to conclusion but making a correlation was natural.

"We don't know and we shouldn't care," Sanzo cut in tersely, already turning back to their campsite. "As long as they don't show up again!"

Both Gojyo and Hakkai watched mutely as the huffy monk left with a wide-eyed Goku in tow. Sanzo's mood was understandable. Something inconvenient was always happening when the gods come knocking, as if their trip westward was not already fraught with peril and uncertainties.

"Do you require a guard while you relieve yourself?" Hakkai jibed when Sanzo and Goku were gone from sight.

"Che! Baldy needs that offer instead!" Gojyo retorted, striding away in another direction and willing his shakujo back to the subspace.

Hakkai's grin turned wry as he headed back to the campsite. At least, he could turn in for the night now that their curious visitors were gone. Better enjoy every chance for rest while he could. He had an inkling their next battle was just around the corner.

* * *

><p>Even after Gojyo had returned and snuggled into his bedroll, Sanzo remained wide-awake. He was still wired after the late-night monkey show with the two spooks.<p>

Snorting under his breath, the monk shifted until he was lying on his back, staring at the glittering expanse above.

Of course he knew that they were gods, as he if had not enough experience with their infuriating superhuman abilities and aura on top of his sensitivity augmented by the symbolism of the chakra on his own forehead. And he was irate by what their popping up means: nothing good.

The gods like to hold themselves aloof. It would take extenuating circumstances to compel them to mingle among the citizens of the Realm Below… reasons which were more often than not drastic and all too self-serving. In short, their appearances spelt trouble.

Case in point: Kanzeon Bosatsu.

He could surmise she had some sort of vested interest in them. Hakkai had agreed as much when he had related of her intervention during his near fatal clash with Shuuei, which had resulted in the breaking of Goku's limiter. But the goddess of mercy was driven by capricious humour and he would definitely use her icons at the temple as target practices should that be her motivation.

Second case in point: Homura Taishi.

They still did not know what the War Prince wanted from them beyond possessing a sick fetish of shoving his condescending fist into their faces as a greeting.

Sanzo thought about the previous night, where he was jolted from a fitful dream; the details of which he could not remember beyond the sense of foreboding carried over into the waking world.

Of course, some shadowy gods had to pop by like some cruel coincidence. Che!

The stars above went on winking; seeming to mock the Realm Below with their convivial disregard for all that was disruptive and burdensome.

So, the blond muttered a curse beneath his breath and then, turning to his side, he resolutely shut his eyes.

…tbc…

* * *

><p><strong>From Lady Rurouni:<strong>

Hallo! I greet 2015 with this new fic. For those of you new to me and my works, _**The World Goes Round**_ (TWGR) follows from my two series grouped under the _**Romance of the Seventh Star**_ (RoSS) arc. I say 'follows', not because TWGR is a sequel but RoSS reads more like a prequel, rather like Saiyuki Gaiden is within the overarching Saiyuki series.

In RoSS, my idea is to relate to the canon of Gaiden using a OC (i.e. 'Seishin no Goten Nana-hime Hikari'). In TWGR, the perspective of the Sanzo-Ikkou is dominant and it is through their ignorance of their previous incarnations that I wish to explore my story.

It is not necessary to read RoSS before approaching TWGR, although I do hope that reading this current fanfiction would trigger some curiosity of the RoSS arc.

What do I hope to achieve through TWGR? Well… to tell a good story first and foremost! And to tell it in a manner that is engrossing.

We'll see where this goes. And may 2015 be kind to you. Drop a review, will ya?

Cheers,

**Lady Rurouni**


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